Energy Storage

With COVID-19 filling the news throughout 2020, it’s very likely you missed some of the most important developments that occurred in the power sector this year. Here’s a look at some of the highlights and big stories covered by the POWER staff this year. MOX Nuclear Fuel Loaded In January, Russian engineers announced the loading […]

ARLINGTON, Va.; DOHA, Qatar; MUNICH, Germany (Dec. 30, 2020) — Fluence, the leading global energy storage solutions provider, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) pursuant to which QIA will commit to invest $125 million in Fluence through a private placement transaction. Consummation of the transaction […]

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to lead three advanced energy storage projects. The projects will study innovative, non-battery-based bulk energy storage solutions integrated with fossil assets. “Investing in research and development to improve energy storage is critical at this moment in time,” Neva Espinoza, vice […]

Although provisions in the $900 billion stimulus package agreed to by Congress on Dec. 21 that will extend the solar investment tax credit (ITC) and the wind production tax credit (PTC) received the greatest publicity, lawmakers also authorized about $35 billion for clean energy research and development (R&D) programs focused on solar technology, advanced nuclear […]

We’re at the electric tipping point as electric stoves, vehicles, and construction equipment displace the fossil fuel guzzlers of the past. Yet, before a carbon-neutral future can truly take off, utilities and the electric grid need to innovate. For the world to hit net-zero emissions targets by 2050, grid investments need to almost triple to […]

California is set to host one of the world’s largest standalone renewable hybrid projects. Slated to come online in the fourth quarter of 2022, the Edwards & Sanborn project in Kern County will feature 1,118 MW of solar and 2,165 MWh of energy storage.  Renewable developer Terra-Gen on Dec. 10 announced an agreement with engineering […]

Integrating electric vehicles (EVs) with the power grid has become a focus for utilities, particularly in areas with large concentrations of EVs. It also is another way for utilities to expand their business models, as they partner with companies involved with charging stations and residential energy storage applications. EnergyHub, a distributed energy resources (DERs) management […]

BOULDER, Colo. (Dec. 1, 2020) – The City of Boulder is partnering with Fermata Energy to test the ability to reduce the city’s building energy costs with an innovative pilot at the North Boulder Recreation Center. Typically, electric vehicle (EV) chargers provide energy in one direction: from the energy grid or building to the car. […]

Norwegian Group Buying Vietnam Wind Farm. Norway’s SN Power AS in November agreed to purchase 100% of the shares in the 39.4-MW Dam Nai Wind Power project in Vietnam from Mekong Wind Pte. Ltd., a group owned

Culver City, California & Marlborough, Massachusetts- (November 24, 2020) –TerraScale, a clean infrastructure design and development firm committed to transforming and modernizing digital infrastructure, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Ambri, to deploy its proprietary Liquid Metal Battery technology. As part of the agreement, TerraScale and its data center development partners will […]

COSTA MESA, Calif. (November 19, 2020) — Veritone, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERI), the creator of the world’s first operating system for artificial intelligence, aiWARE™, today announced that it has received three new patents for its battery control technology, bringing the total number of issued patents covering its Veritone Energy Solutions to 13, with another 16 patent applications pending. “With […]

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2020 — Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN), the leading provider of residential solar, battery storage and energy services, today announced that it has contracted with one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, Southern California Edison (SCE), to increase grid resilience and lower power costs. SCE will send signals to Sunrun […]

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2020 — sonnen, a global market leader in smart residential energy storage and virtual power plants, today announced the launch of sonnenCore. The new compact, affordable, and fully sonnen-designed sonnenCore home battery solution is built using sonnen’s proven energy management expertise. This product evolution expands sonnen’s premium offerings to include a […]

NOVEMBER 10, 2020 — Yotta Energy announced today that the company has closed a $5M Seed Round to finalize UL certification and commence commercial production of its disruptive panel-level, PV-Coupled™ energy storage technology. The investors for this round include Fiftysix Investments, EDP Ventures, Skyview Ventures and other undisclosed investors. “Our team has proven the value […]

Speakers at POWER’s recent Distributed Energy Experience were unanimous in their agreement that energy storage is a game-changing technology for the power generation sector. Storage provides for more reliability and resilience, and already is proving its importance to supporting the growth of solar and wind power. Utilities are incorporating storage into their generation portfolios. It […]

More developers are adding energy storage to their power generation plans as they recognize how the technology improves a project’s economics. Solar and wind power project developers are recognizing the

Advancements in battery technology are critical to continuing growth in the energy storage market, and energy industry analysts say those advancements also are needed to move e-mobility forward and combat

The 2.4 MW/2.4 MWh energy storage system (ESS) supplied by the technology group Wärtsilä for Sunseap Energy Ventures of Singapore under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract has been installed. The ESS facility is a test-bed supported by Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and SP Group, a leading energy utilities company in Asia Pacific […]

Most consumers know that lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries can get hot. People experience the phenomenon in devices such as cell phones and laptop computers. In extreme circumstances, the heat can cause fires with catastrophic consequences. One company that is working to remedy the problem is Burlington, Washington-headquartered LAVLE. The company’s COO Morten Pedersen and CTO Ben […]

Doubling down on its net-zero efforts, Duke Energy will retire all coal-only units in the Carolinas, multiply its renewable portfolio, and cease emitting methane in its natural gas business by 2030.  The company made the announcements on Oct. 12 at its first environmental, social and governance (ESG) day, a virtual event geared toward its investors. […]

Although the first lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery was conceived more than 50 years ago, the technology continues to be refined and improved today. Scientists and engineers are constantly modifying and testing electrolytes, anodes, and cathodes in an effort to make Li-ion batteries more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and safer. Chicago, Illinois-based NanoGraf Technologies is one company working to […]

Distributed energy systems are transforming the way power is produced and distributed. The decentralized model of power generation, where energy is produced closer to where it will be used, rather than at a large plant elsewhere and sent through the traditional grid, has several advantages, including reducing transmission losses and lowering carbon emissions. An Oct. […]

The growing adoption of distributed energy resources presents another challenge for utilities and grid operators as they design and plan for how electricity is produced and delivered. The past few years have

Swedish energy company Vattenfall, mining company LKAB, and steel manufacturer SSAB in September started the world’s first pilot plant to produce “fossil-free” steel in Lulea, Sweden (Figure 3). As part